Where the Ocean Meets the Girl Guides, Exploring the Interface Between Teaching Science and Using Specialized Programs to Engage Girls in Ocean Literacy

This presentation focuses on Ocean Aware, a joint project between Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) and the British Columbia Girl Guides Canada (Girl Guides). On World Oceans Day 2014, Girl Guides launched a new challenge to its members: “Are you Ocean Aware?” To answer this question, girls of any age can now earn their Ocean Aware Challenge crest.

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), an initiative of the University of Victoria, operates cabled ocean observatories which supply continuous power and Internet connectivity to a broad suite of subsea instruments from the coast to the deep sea. This Internet connectivity permits researchers, students and members of the public to download freely available data on their computers anywhere around the globe, in near real-time.

Girl Guides provides a safe, all-girl environment that invites girls to challenge themselves, to find their voice, meet new friends, have fun and make a difference in the world. Girl Guides strives to ensure that girls and women from all walks of life, identities and lived experiences feel a sense of belonging and can fully participate. Girl Guides of Canada is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

Through a partnership between ONC and Girl Guides, Ocean Aware was created to promote ocean literacy and ocean technology to thousands of Guiders in British Columbia and beyond. One of the most interesting challenges was to present STEM learning outcomes in such a way that they are accessible to girls, facilitators, and communities that are both on the coast and inland. With a creative eye to the preforming arts, hands-on experiments, interactive experiences and games, this challenge successfully brings the 7 Principles of Ocean Literacy to any girl, in any community.

In this presentation we will share some of the strategies, challenges and impacts of creating a successful program that engages a large audience in ocean science through a novel partnership.